2 Swear Alibi Witness in 'Serial' Case Said She Would Lie to Help Suspect: Attorney General

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Prison artwork created by Adnan Syed sits near family photos in the home of his mother, Shamim Syed, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014, in Baltimore. Adnan Syed was convicted for the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend, and his case was revived in a wildly popular podcast with millions of weekly listeners.

The Maryland attorney general's office says an alibi witness for a man whose murder conviction was re-examined in the popular "Serial" podcast told classmates more than 20 years ago she would lie to help him.

Officials wrote in court filings Monday that two sisters who were classmates of the witness at Woodlawn High School approached the attorney general's office this summer, after a judge ordered a new trial for Adnan Syed. The sisters gave sworn statements saying they got into a 1999 argument with the witness, Asia McClain.

The officials ask that the sisters' affidavits be used in court if McClain's alibi claim is introduced.

The judge who ordered the new trial ruled Syed's attorneys were deficient, because they failed to note the unreliability of cellphone tracking evidence cited by prosecutors.